Hand tool for gripping, bending, or cutting operations



* i mm,

Feb. 24), 1923; I J R. L B. RATHBONE ET AL HAND TOOL FOR GRIPPING, BENDINGrOR curfme OPERATIONS.

.msn sEP'T. 1, 1921.

f II I l I IIII L:

Patented ittl,

interment. n. na'r rsonn. or

LONDON, .tlll'iD GAITENDIQH .lvltOB'llON, O15 THORNTUN HEATH, ENG-LAND.

.t'tpplicatiohtiled September 7, 1921. Serial No. 499,038.

To (LZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that We, ltionitnn LLEWELYN Benson ltari-inomna subject of the King of Great Britainl and llrelaiid and residing at i ltavenscourt Square, Hammersnnth, Lon- 1 don, d England. and tfltviininsrr Horror, 2:

subject oi the King oi Great Britain and lireland, and residing at Torridge ltoad, illhornton Heatln in the county of Surrey, England, have invented. acertain new and useful. Improved Hand root for Gripping, Bending, or Cutting Operations, of which The present invention relates to handtools,- such as pliers, tweezers, forceps orthe like which are commonly employed for gripping, bending or cutting metal or otherrnaterials. f

ltn the specification ofBritish application No. 9739 of 1921, We have described a tool in which the j atvs are provided with interchangeable nose-pieces. f

The present invention is concerned with tools of this general type, and in iiarticular withan improved construction whereby jaws of various shapes may be very. readily substituted the one it'orthe other.

According to the present invention we provide a tool-operator comprising a metal.

strip or the like bent to Itlshape or similar form, the arms so produced being capable of being pressed together; either. by hand or y by means of a suitable lever, and adapted to receive in the bend between them the shanks j of any tvvorofa set of interchangeable jaws having various shapes.

Une means ot'lcarrying out our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which p i Figure 1 is aside view of the tool-operator, the position occupied by the detachable jaws being indicated in dotted lines.

Fi 'ure 2 is a side view of one form of detac able jaws suitable for fitting); in. the tool-operator shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 illustrates a form of cutter also.

suitable for insertion in the tool-operator depicted in Figure 1. j a

Fi ures t and 5 are sectional views on the llne A-B of the cutter shown in Figure 3. looking in opposite directions. a In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, the tool-operator comprises a strip or metal 1 bent to ill-shape, the arms of the U being confined by a guide/2 Within which they may be moved toward and away from one another by meansof a Suitably shaped lever 3 attached to the guide. The a-.s & of the tool are formed on oppo site ends of a bar 5, also bent to a U-shape of such a size that it will lit 'Wltllllfl the toolopcrator 1, While allowing the jaws to pro jectbeyond the arms of the operator.

Obviously the aWs 4 may be made of any desired shape, and it is not necessary that cooperating jaws should be of the same shape. For instance, one jaw might be made ct round and the other of flat rectangular section. In the cutter illustrated in Figures 3 to 5, the jaivs 6 and 7 are preferably detachable from a short tl-shaped bend 8 the whole being oi'such dimensions that The is preferably made straight. and has engraved on it a scale 9, by means oil which the length of wire; strip or the like Which is being cut as may be indicated. A stop 10,

it can be inserted in the operator 1.

which may be secured. at any point along the jaw 6 by such means as ascrevv 11 enables a number of equal lengths to be cut oil with great facility. j

in order to prevent tilting oi the wire or. the like as the cutting edges arebrouglit together, a flat spring 12 is preferably attached to the curved jaw 7 so that it bears upon the Wire or the like which is beinjg; out, just he- :tore the j asws meet. and holds it firmly against the jaw 6.

lit. it be desired that the toolshall operate as c utter rather than as a shearing tool. We bend the lower aw upwards sutticiently toenablc a cutting: edge to be formed on the bent-up portion. the upper jaw being also former. unset the lower jaw. in such a case it. may be found unnecessary to fit a spring}; or block, since. provided the edges meet accu' ratcly, the teinlency to tilting of the Wire or the like does not exist. lit however, in order to steady the wire or to cozu uuisate for any iossiblo inaccuracy in the meetin oi the warttinp; edges. we find it desirable to lit a sprin or block it 11121 be necessar that this in v provision be made on both jaws.

with a cutting edge arranged to meet 1 shaped bend 8 by means of screws, the clearing holes for thescrews'being formed as slotsto enable one jaw to be moved slightly over the other.

It will be seen that any number of U- shaped bars having jaws of any desired :t'orm may be provided to fit into a single tooloperator, and particularly it the strip of which the operator is made be of channel section, it is not necessary to provide any means I for retaining the U-shaped shank of the jaws Within the operator, thus enabling a very rapid change'to be made from one pair of jaws to those'of another shape.

, There maybe cases in which it is desir "able to nsetwo jaws of dissimilar form, and for this purpose we may "form the jaws entirelyseparately. t-hat' is to say, without a connn'onU-shap'ed shank, each being provided with'its own shank which vwill fit into or on to and be held by the tool-operator. In order satisfactorily to hold a'shank of this type which will in general merely consist of a straight bar, we may find it desir- 'ableto make the arms of the tool-operator oi? a box-like formation, and further it ma; be desirable to provide screws or other fixing means for retaining the shanks of the "jaws in position.

It will be seen that the lever described whereby the jaws are brought together is "not'an essential of the invention, and in some cases it maybe desirable to omitthis lever, the tool-operator in that case being held in the hand and its arms being;- brought together bypressure between the thumb and fingers.

H aving now described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:*

1. In combination, a tool-operator having a pair of associated operator members movable'towards and from one another and a tool having; a pair of. associated legs similarly movable, said tool being insertable in said tool-operator with the legs oi. said tool injoperative relation to said operator members, as set forth.

2. In combination, a tool-operator having a pair of operator members movably asso ciated at one end and approximated at the other; and a tool having a pair of legs mutually operative at the one end and movably associated at the other, said tool legs being disposed between said operator members in operative pressure-transmitting relation thereto, as set forth.

3. In combination, a tool-operator having: relatively movable operator lilGil'llOGl said tool-operator forming a self-contained operative unit and a two-legged tool also tormingr a self-contained operative unit, said tool being insertable between said operator members and in n, erative relation thereto, as set forth.

In combination, a U-shaped tool-operator having relatively movable operator members and a U-shaped tool insertable in said tool-operator in operative relation to said movable members, as set forth.

5. In combination, a tool-operator having, relatively movable operator members and a two-legged tool nest-able within said members and in operative relation thereto, as set forth.

' 6. In combination, a tool-operator having relatively n'iovable operator members. a twolegged tool. insertal'ile between said operator members in pressure-trailismitting relation thereto; and mechanical means :"soeinled with. said operator members to cause said operator l'l'lGli'llJGFS to approach, as set forth.

Tl In combination, a U-shaped tool-operator having relatively movable operator nieinbers; a two-legged toolinsertable in said tool-operator toe'ether with nie lianiral means mounted on said tool-operator i'or causing said operator men'ibers to approach. as forth.

1 8. in combination, a tool-operator having relatively movable operator members and a plurality of two-legged tools interchangeably nestable within said operator and in operative relation thereto, as set lori'h.

9. In combination, a tool-opm'ator baring; relatively movable operator members and two-legged tool insertable in said tool-operator, the ends or the legs o'l' said tool projecting beyond said operator men'ibeiis. as set forth.

10. In coml'iination, a lool-operator having relatively n'iorable operator members and a U-shaped tool having at least one detaelmble leg, said tool being insertable in F'{!l l operator in operative relation thereto, asset l'orlb.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this s 'iecifi'eation.

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